


Stronger than Fate

by Kye9



Category: Terminator (Movies), Terminator: Dark Fate
Genre: F/F, Girl Penis, Lesbian Sex, Movie: Terminator: Dark Fate, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:54:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22287463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kye9/pseuds/Kye9
Summary: This is my continuation of the story after the movie ends. Grace doesn't die and Legion sends another Rev-9 after Dani. Sarah and Grace protect her once again as Grace slowly regains the real memory of her future relationship with Daniela Ramos, Commander of the Human Resistance.
Relationships: Grace Harper/Dani Ramos
Comments: 46
Kudos: 363





	1. Chapter 1

That was it. 

The fight was over. 

Finally. 

The Rev-9 was dead. So was Carl...the other terminator. 

And so was...

“Grace,” Dani said softly, her eyes filled with tears as she sat crouched next to Grace’s lifeless body. She reached down with a battered, blood soaked hand to press her palm against Grace’s stomach. 

Suddenly, Grace took in a deep breath, gasping for life as her body arched up off the floor in a violent jolt. 

Dani’s eyes widened and she nearly screamed as she fell back. 

Sarah slowly walked up, fresh blood seeping from the wound on her temple and her side. She clutched at the ache as her face twisted in pain. “Back up power source,” she said matter of factly as she slowly turned to look at Dani. “They always have a back up power source.” 

Dani’s eyes were still wide in disbelief, her mouth hanging partly open in shock as she looked back to Grace’s now convulsing body. She could hardly believe what she was seeing. She had just watched Grace die.

Die to save *her*. 

This couldn’t be possible. 

“We need to leave,” Sarah said bluntly as she winced again. She looked to the now unconscious form of the augmented human laying on the floor at her feet. “We have to get her out of here.” She looked around the warehouse and finally spotted a roll of chain linked fence. “We can drag her out on that, but we have to move, so you need to snap out of it and help me.” 

The Rev-9 was dead, but there would be more. 

There were *always* more. 

Dani was still staring with wide eyes up at Sarah and then back down to Grace’s motionless form. She was still new to all of thise and despite the last few days, she still felt completely out of her element. 

But Grace was alive. She didn’t die to save her. 

There was a...back up power source?

Whatever that meant, Dani didn’t care. She only cared that Grace was still alive. They were both still alive and that meant that they still had a chance. 

To save the future. 

Not - 

“Okay,” Dani finally replied softly. She winced as she quickly moved to her feet and ran over to grab the roll of fence. It was heavy, but she managed to get it to unwind enough to drag it back over to Grace. 

Sarah was knelt down next to the unconscious woman, studying her from head to toe. “It’s a fucking bitch,” she grumbled as she raised Grace’s tanktop to reveal the now blinking bright blue light shining out from her open wound. “We spend our whole lives fighting them, trying to destroy them, only to become just like them in the end.” She looked up to Dani with a rueful smile. 

The future Commander was still a little shellshock as she dropped down on Grace’s other side. “Help me get her on here. We need to go in case there is another one.” 

“There’s always another one,” Sarah replied as she moved back, wincing as she clutched at her side. 

Slowly, the two women worked through their pain to move Grace’s body onto the strip of unrolled chain fence. They both got back to their feet and reached down to grab on, slowly dragging Grace out of the warehouse. 

***

It only took Sarah a few mintues to find a car. She had the door opened and the dash rewired in a matter of seconds. She groaned and winced as blood soaked through the wound on her side. “I know someone,” she said gruffly. “It’s about a day’s ride from here, but if we get there, she can help all of us.” She looked down to Grace’s unconscious form and then back up to meet Dani’s eyes. 

Dani was still a little shaken as she tucked the gun into the back of her pants and let out a soft breath. “Okay,” she relented instantly. “If you trust her, then I do, too.” 

Sarah tilted her head and snorted. “You still got a lot to learn, kid,” she replied gruffly. “But if you’re anything like the person she was willing to die for, then I gotta keep your ass alive until you become that woman.” 

Dani looked down at Grace and then back to Sarah. 

“Help me get her in the back,” Sarah said as she opened the back car door. 

Dani groaned at just the thought, but the sooner they had Grace in, the sooner they would all be safer. 

As safe as any of them could be. 

It took some considerable effort, but Dani and Sarah managed to get Grace onto the back seat where Dani covered her with a blanket she found in the trunk. “What is she?” she asked softly, her eyes studying the scars on Grace’s arms. 

“I have no fucking idea,” Sarah grunted as she fell into the driver’s seat of the car and pulled the door closed behind her. “But she’s our best bet at helping me keep you alive.” Sarah glanced back over her shoulder into the backseat as she pulled the car into gear and drove away.

***

They had only been driving for a few hours, but it felt like much longer. The ache in Sarah’s side was dull now and she had been at this long enough to know that wasn’t a good thing. She held her composure despite the overwhelming exhaustion as she glanced up in the rearview mirror. 

Dani was seated on the passenger side of the back seat. Her head was resting against the window as her dark eyes stared out into the night. Her left hand rested on Grace’s stomach as she held the unconscious woman in her lap. 

Sarah cocked a half smile as she returned her eyes to the road. “I knew someone like her once,” she said with a soft husk. 

Dani slowly lifted her head from the window to glance down at Grace. She stroked her fingers through the blood-soaked red hair as she looked up at Sarah in the front seat. “Who?”

Sarah was quiet for a long moment as she glanced out of her window before turning her eyes back to the road. Her grip tightened on the steering wheel as she felt a hard twinge in her chest that had nothing to do with her wounds. “His name was Kyle Reese,” she said slowly. “He was the man my son John sent back through time to protect me from Sky Net and the first Terminator sent to kill me.”

Dani took in the information for a moment. “What happened to him?”

“He died,” Sarah answered instantly, pausing a moment to swallow. “He died saving my life just like she died saving yours.” Her grip shifted on the wheel. “Only it seems you’re gonna get the second chance that I never did.” 

Dani stroked her fingers through Grace’s hair as she raised her other hand to place it on the woman’s chest. She waited a moment and let out a breath when she felt the heartbeat strong beneath her palm. “Was he like her?” she asked as she looked back to Sarah. “Was he...augmented?”

“No,” Sarah answered. “He was just your plain ole boring human man.” She felt a lump in the back of her throat and pushed it down. “And the father of the man destined to save the human race.” 

Dani’s eyes widened just slightly. “He was John’s father? The man sent back by him to save you?”

Sarah didn’t answer right away. “Yes,” she finally replied, her voice soft and a little broken. “My son was willing to sacrifice his father to save the human race. He was a real hero.” She felt tears stinging at her eyes. 

“Your son is still with you,” Dani replied softly. “When we love someone like you loved your son, a part of them carries on with us for the rest of our lives.” 

Sarah didn’t reply as she cleared her throat. “We stopped it,” she said gruffly. “We stopped Sky Net and Judgement day, and the entire fucking extinction of the human race only for them to fuck it all up again.” She paused to swallow back again. “And John died for nothing.” 

Dani leaned forward from the back seat to reach out and rest her hand on Sarah’s shoulder. “I am sorry for your loss,” she said softly. “But he did not die for nothing. His memory gives you the strength to still fight.” 

Sarah sniffled again. “It doesn’t matter now. It was a long time ago,” she replied. “Humans are too fucked up and stupid to realize that they are going to be their own ultimate destruction. Nothing like greed and arrogance to bring down even the greatest civilization.” She snorted. 

Like humanity ever was. 

Sara glanced back up at the rearview mirror. She looked to where Dani’s fingers were softly stroking through Grace’s hair. “She was lying, you know.” 

Dani suddenly looked up, insulted by the insinuation. 

Sarah smirked with a chuckle. “I meant about how you two met,” she quickly clarified. “I find it hard to believe that she looks at you that way because you raised her like a mother.” 

Dani looked down at Grace’s unconscious form. She wished so badly that she was looking into those fierce, kind blue eyes. 

“She’s clearly in love with you,” Sarah said with the same smile. 

Dani’s eyes jerked up again. “What?” she scoffed. “That’s crazy. She’s not...I don’t...there’s no chance of that.” She looked back to the woman in her arms. 

There was no denying that Dani felt something the first time they met. Be it that it was rather violent and unexpected, but the first time she looked into Grace’s wildly untamed eyes...there was something there she couldn’t explain. 

“You can say whatever you want, but the truth of the matter is that your future self was willing to sacrifice your lover to save whatever form of pitiful excuse for the human race there is in your future,” Sara replied. “You might just be the one to save them after all.” She smiled a little at that. 

This Dani kid reminded her so much of her John. 

Which was why Sarah was going to do everything she could to prepare her for her future. 

Dani was still to stunned to find the words for a retort. It was...no. There was no way that she and Grace...just...no. 

It wasn’t that Dani was opposed to those feelings. She believed that all forms of love were pure and beautiful, she just...she had never loved anyone like that before. She wouldn’t even know the first thing about it. 

And surely Grace couldn’t possibly...

“Kyle Reese was John’s father,” Sarah suddenly supplied. She shifted a bit in her seat, grimacing at the ache in her side. “I only knew him for two days, but I felt it the moment that we met.” She scoffed at the idea now, but she remembered all those years ago when she fell in love with the man destined to die to save her and their son. 

It was a lifetime ago, but Sarah could still remember how that felt, and she saw it in Grace’s eyes every time she looked at Dani. 

It was the same way Kyle used to look at her. 

“This is your second chance, kid,” Sarah said gruffly. “Don’t fuck it up.” 

Dani looked down to the woman in her arms. She was suddenly hit with the realization that what Sarah was saying could very well be true. Grace was willing to sacrifice her life not only to save the future leader of the human resistance, but also the woman that she loved. 

Could it really be true?

Was she and Grace...lovers in their future world?

Dani stroked her thumb gently against Grace’s cheek and smiled. No one made her feel safer or more protected and knowing what Grace must have went through to become...whatever she was now was not lost on her. 

Only someone that really loved another would suffer such pain to keep them safe. 

“Your friend,” Dani said softly. “Is she going to be able to help her too?”

Sarah sighed. “If there’s anyone that can, it would definitely be her.” 

Dani continued to stroke Grace’s cheek as she studied the unconscious woman’s face. She wondered if she would be strong enough to sacrifice her love to save the human race from something that was their own doing. She wasn’t so sure, but Grace was living proof of how powerful love and sacrifice could be. 

Dani dropped her head onto the glass of the window as she turned her eyes back to stare out into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

They drove for another few hours before exhaustion and pain finally set in. Sarah and Dani agreed that they would have to stop and find some place to rest for the night before moving on. 

They didn’t have much money, and mostly only the bloodied and nearly destroyed clothes that they were wearing on their backs. 

Sarah pulled into a gas station to refill, grimacing as she opened the door with her left arm because her right one had gone numb from the pain. She stumbled out of the car and around to the side to start pumping the gas. 

Dani stayed in the back seat with Grace’s head in her lap. She was still idly stroking her fingers through the red hair darkened with blood when she noticed a small bag in the back floorboard next to her feet. She felt bad that she had been a part in stealing someone’s car, but at this point, all she cared about was getting Grace out of there to try and find this person that could maybe help her wake up and get better. 

Dani’s brow furrowed as she leaned over carefully to lift the bag from the floorboard and place it at her side. She pulled open the zipper as she started to go through its contents. She came across a small leather wallet and opened it. Her eyes got a little wide when she saw the stack of cash held within. 

It was at least...a thousand dollars. 

Enough to get them a warm place to sleep, new clothes, and food. 

“Sarah!” Dani suddenly yelled out of her open window. 

Sarah’s reaction was to quickly grab the Glock hidden in the back of her pants and point it out straight in front of her. She looked around wildly for a moment before turning her gaze back to Dani in the car. 

“I...I found something you might like,” Dani said with a sheepish smile as she held up the wallet. 

“Jesus fuck, kid,” Sarah grumbled as she tucked the gun back into her waistband. “I’m old. Don’t do that.” She finished pumping the gas and put the cap back on before making her way back into the car. She pulled the door closed behind her before shifting painfully in her seat to glance back over her shoulder. 

“Good,” Sarah said gruffly when she noticed what Dani was holding. “I need a shower.” She put the car and park and sped off from the gas station towards the closest place with four walls and roof.

***

They pulled off on the first exit the came to. Sarah found a cheap motel where they could stay for the night and made sure to get the room farthest away from the road. 

It was a painful struggle, but Dani and Sarah managed to get Grace out of the car and onto one of the double beds. Dani carefully removed her shoes before pulling the blanket up to cover Grace’s unconscious form. 

Sarah sat in the chair by the window and watched as Dani gently wiped Grace’s face with a warm cloth. 

“You know,” she said casually as she took a swig of a warm beer. “If this is you trying to convince me that you two never have a thing, you’re doing an awful shit job at it.” 

Dani ignored the comment for a few moments before finally looking over. “She died to save me,” she said softly. “The least I can do is wipe the blood from her face.” 

Yeah. That was all she was doing here. 

There were no other feelings involved. Not at all. 

“Uh huh,” Sarah agreed before taking another drink. “This tastes like piss and I really need that shower.” She dropped the bottle back onto the table. “I’m gonna do that while you do...that.” She waved a hand in Dani’s direction before standing up to walk over and disappear into the bathroom. 

Dani stared at the now closed bathroom door for a moment before turning her attention back to the unconscious body on the bed. She stared at Grace’s face for a moment before slowly sitting down on the bed next to her. She listened to hear the soft, steady sound of the other woman’s breathing before she let out a breath of her own. 

The last few days had been...something. Dani was still struggling with the knowledge that she was supposed to be some...leader. She was going to rise up and lead the human resistance against a powerful artificial intelligence army with soliders like...that thing they had finally just killed. 

It was a lot to take in. Especially after losing Diego and her Papi. 

And now Sarah tried to tell her that she and Grace were something...more than friends. 

Could it be possible?

Dani kept her eyes trained on Grace’s form as the woman slept. She didn’t know why Grace hadn’t woken up yet, but she was going to try to find someone to help them. If Sarah’s friend couldn’t, then she was going to find someone that could. 

If anyone in this time would understand any of this because she still didn’t. Not entirely. 

Just that Grace was her savior. A solider in an army of the human resistance that was willing to do these things to her body just so she could protect Dani in a past life. 

Dani had never found herself attracted to anyone let alone another woman. She never had the time with how hard she worked and trying to take care of her sick, stubborn father. She was barely nineteen and had never had more than a kiss. 

Grace had nice lips. She was probably a good kisser, too. Dani knew how strong her arms were and how warm her body was because she had felt it against her so many times. All the times that Grace had used her own body to shield hers from danger. 

Grace was definitely a solider because she had a soldier’s physique. The augmentations were...impressive. 

Dani was lost in her own thoughts and didn’t really think about it as she reached out to pull the blanket down to Grace’s waist. She reached out and carefully lifted the other woman’s shirt. She could see the blue light faint through the bandage that she had placed on the open wound. She could still remember cutting into Grace’s stomach to pull out the power core that finally killed that bastard. 

It was a moment that Dani knew she would never forget. 

Her fingers moved of their own accord as Dani pushed the shirt a little higher up to expose more of Grace’s stomach. She could see the augmentation scars there that were the same as the ones on Grace’s arms and her face. 

The procedure must have been very painful. 

Dani traced her fingers over one of the scrapes on Grace’s right side. She could see the alloy mesh lining just beneath Grace’s skin. She carefully trailed her finger tips along the gash before moving down to another one a little lower. She didn’t know what it was or how it was made, but she knew that Grace was willing to take it on to be able to protect her and any other human that would need her. 

For their survival. Grace was willing to sacrifice. 

Dani found that more than admirable and very...attractive. 

*If* it was possible that somehow she and Grace were...lovers, it wasn’t really surprising as much as she initially thought. Grace was beautiful and handsome and strong and so brave. All qualities someone would be very lucky to have in a partner. 

Someone willing to sacrifice herself for someone she didn’t know. 

Or maybe she did. Dani wasn’t really sure what was the truth anymore. She hoped she would get the chance to know one day soon. 

Dani trailed her fingers slowly along the scar running across Grace’s stomach. She touched the tattooed coordinates before sliding down to the waistband of Grace’s pants. She paused there and suddenly jerked her hand back as if she had touched something hot. 

Sarah’s earlier words rang in Dani’s ears in that moment. She sat there, staring down at Grace’s face as she slept or slumbered or...powered down or whatever it was she was doing. She was alive. 

That’s all that Dani cared about. That, and how she was suddenly looking at Grace as more than just her protector. Her savior. 

Maybe she was something more in a future life. Maybe they were...

“All yours,” Sarah’s gruffy voice broke into the moment. Dani jumped in place and looked over as if she had just been caught doing something wrong. 

Sarah just smirked. “The shower,” she clarified. “It’s all yours. I’m gonna take some of that cash and go get some new clothes.” She looked down at her worn pants and blood-stained shirt. “Showering does fuck all if you still look and smell like this.” She walked over to the duffel bag and pulled out the wallet. She took out two of the hundred dollar bills before stuffing the wallet back into the bag. 

It was pure dumb luck that they just happened to steal the car of someone who had enough money to just leave it in there. Sarah lost her conscious about that stuff a very long time ago. She knew you had to do whatever it takes to survive. 

“You want me to get you anything?” Sarah asked as she walked towards the door. 

Dani swallowed and silently shook her head. 

Sarah put on her sunglasses despite it being completely dark outside. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She opened the door and stepped out before closing it behind her. 

Dani sat there for a few moments before she turned her gaze back to the other woman laying silently in bed. She stared at the scars on Grace’s stomach a moment longer before pulling her shirt back down and moving the blanket back to cover her body. 

Dani shook her head and let out a breath as she got up and headed for the shower. 

***

The hot shower felt like Heaven on earth. Dani hadn’t felt something so relaxing and soothing in a very long time. If ever. She stood under the hot spray and closed her eyes as the water hit her face and ran down over her bruised and battered body. She hurt all over. There wasn’t a single inch of her body that didn’t ache, but at least she was still alive. 

Grace’s mission was successful. 

Dani was so heartbroken the moment she ripped that power core from Grace’s stomach. She thought she had lost the one person that she ever felt completely safe with. 

The one person willing to die to protect her. 

And she did. At least, Dani thought she had, but then the back up power source or whatever kicked in and for a brief moment, Dani got to look into those kind, beautiful eyes one more time. 

Whatever was happening to Grace was keeping her alive and Dani didn’t know why. She still didn’t understand most of what had happened, but she was grateful to have Grace and even Sarah. 

Grateful to still be alive. 

Dani was going to do whatever it took to find someone that could help Grace to...wake up. Or...power back on. However it worked. 

Dani reached down to shut off the shower, letting out a sigh as she brushed her wet hair back from her face and slid the shower door open. She stepped out onto the mat, grabbing one of the robes from the back of the door to pull it on before grabbing a towel to dry her hair. 

Dani reached out with her free hand to pull open the bathroom door. 

And came face to face with Grace. She was leaning heavily against the doorway, her hands braced on both sides of the frame. Her eyes were wild and hazy as she struggled to breathe. There was fresh blood and whatever that orange stuff was on her tank top covering the wound on her stomach. 

Dani’s eyes widened and she very nearly passed out from the sudden shock. “Grace!” she yelled as she stepped out, just barely managing to catch the other woman as she collapsed in a heap on the floor. She shifted and turned Grace over to cradle her in her arms as she reached down to brush her hand against the fresh blood on the other woman’s shirt. 

“D...Da...Dani,” Grace managed to whisper, her voice thick and heavy. She slowly blinked her eyes as she looked up at the woman holding her in her arms. The blue light emanating from her stomach was brighter than before, but still not quite steady and strong. 

“Grace,” Dani said softly as she brushed the hair back from Grace’s eyes. She smiled, tears falling from her eyes as she cradled the other woman. “You’re alive,” she said softly. “I got you. It’s okay.” 

Grace slowly blinked again. “P...Power,” she struggled to husk. “N-Need...power.” 

Dani’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand,” she replied as she shifted Grace in her arms again. “What power? What do you mean?”

Grace was struggling for every breath and every word, but she was quickly fading as her eyes became heavy. 

“No, no, no,” Dani quickly said as she shifted again. “Stay with me, Grace,” she begged softly. “I need you to stay awake, please. Tell me. What power?”

Grace blinked before her eyes finally closed and her head lolled to the side. 

The door to the room opened in that moment and Sarah stepped back in. “Well fuck,” she said gruffly as she tossed two bags onto the table by the door and closed it behind her. “I leave you alone for five minutes.” She walked over to where Dani was still holding Grace on the floor in front of the bathroom. “What the hell did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Dani quickly snapped back. “I was in the shower and when I came out, she was awake.” She looked down to the unconscious woman in her lap. “All she said was she needed power but didn’t tell me what or where or how.” 

Sarah studied Grace for a moment. “I think I know what she needs.” She leaned down and helped Dani lift Grace enough to slip out from beneath her. They both slowly and gently dragged Grace back over to the bed and with considerable effort, lifted her up and onto the mattress. 

“Fuck, she’s just as heavy as they are,” Sarah grunted as she took a step back from the bed. “She might not be one of them, but she sure as shit has all their advantages.” 

“And all of their weaknesses,” Dani added as she settled Grace back onto the bed and pulled the blanket back over her. “What does she need?” she quickly asked as she looked over to Sarah. When she didn’t get an immediate response, she grew impatient. “Sarah! What?!”

“She needs something strong enough to power an entire city,” Sarah explained. “She needs a pulse. An electromagnetic shock strong enough to restart her genetically enhanced and modified...this.” She waved her hand in Grace’s direction. 

“Won’t that kill her?” Dani instantly asked as she looked back to Grace’s form. 

“She’s not like us, Dani,” Sarah said as she stepped away from the bed and moved over to the bags she had brought in. “She’s still human, but most of her body isn’t.” She started pulling out clothes and various food items to stack them on the table. “I got you something anyway,” she said softly as she glanced back over her shoulder. 

Dani looked down at Grace to see her resting comfortably despite the occasional twitch and moan in her sleep. “Where do we find something that powerful?” Dani asked as she looked back to Sarah. “How do we give it to her without it killing all of us?”

“Good fucking question,” Sarah replied as she rummaged through the pile of clothes in front of her. She finally found what she was looking for before turning to face Dani on the bed. “I got you some fresh clothes,” she offered as she held them up for the other woman to see. “We should get some rest and then head out at first light.” 

Dani offered Sarah a smile before turning her attention back to Grace’s form. She looked so restless and worn and it hurt Dani to know that the other woman was in any sort of pain. 

Grace had just basically died to save her from the Rev-9. That was something that no amount of present or future gratitude could ever repay. 

Sarah stood by for a moment, watching how Dani reached out to pull the blanket up around Grace before leaning in to touch her forehead. She rolled her eyes and scoffed before tossing the clothes onto the bed next to Dani. 

It was clear to anyone that there was something more between them. Even if the kid wasn’t willing to admit it yet. 

“You can sleep with her,” Sarah offered as she popped open another can of hot beer before kicking off her shoes to put her feet up on the bed in front of her. She smirked with Dani quickly looked over at her with wide eyes. “I meant in the same bed with her,” she clarified. “I don’t like to share and I kick in my sleep.” She took a long swig of the beer. “A lot.”

It took a moment for Dani to stop blushing as she looked back to Grace. There was plenty of room next to her in the bed, but Dani had never shared a bed with anyone else other than her brother when they were kids. 

“I really don’t think she’ll mind,” Sarah added as she pointed towards Grace with the tip of her beer bottle. 

Dani still hesitated, but after a moment her brow furrowed as she leaned over to gently brush her fingers against the wound just about Grace’s right brow. “I wish I could know what she’s thinking,” she said softly. “I hope she isn’t in any pain.” 

In the few brief seconds earlier when Grace was actually standing on her own, Dani was relieved. She had thought that Grace was well on her way to recovery on her own when it quickly became clear that it wasn’t the case. 

Whatever power that Grace needed, Dani had a bad, sinking feeling that it wasn’t going to be as simple as plugging something into the nearest outlet. She had no idea how any of this worked, and she really didn’t care. She just wanted Grace back with her. 

Just to look into those beautiful blue eyes one more time. 

“You should get some rest, kid,” Sarah said as she dropped her feet from the bed and set her beer bottle down onto the table. “We have a very long drive tomorrow and should probably leave at first light.” She didn’t say it out loud, but Sarah was already considering the fact that somewhere very close by out there, another Rev-9 was already hunting them. 

Those fucks didn’t give up just because you killed one of their robots. 

Where there was one, there was a thousand more just like it ready to take its place. 

Sarah really was getting way too old for this shit. 

“Okay,” Dani said softly as she looked back over her shoulder with a soft smile. “Thank you, Sarah,” she said gently as she stroked her thumb against Grace’s brow before pulling her hand away. “I know you don’t have to stay and help me or her, but we really appreciate it.” 

Sarah was clearly a little uncomfortable in the moment and waved it off as she pulled off her boots and moved to disappear into the bathroom. 

Dani watched her friend go before turning her attention back to the woman laying on the bed in front of her. Grace’s breathing had evened out and she didn’t seemed to be quite as restless. 

Good. 

Hopefully, she was finally getting some well earned sleep. 

It didn’t take long before the soft smile slowly returned to Dani’s face. She couldn’t help it. She couldn’t stop smiling any time she looked at or thought about Grace. 

Not since she found out that Grace really hadn’t completely sacrificed her life for her. There was still a back up power source and hopefully with the right shock of power, it would have Grave primed and back up on her feet. 

There was something about the look in those eyes and the way Grace flexed her muscles *so* perfectly right before a fight...

Dani was blushing again just as the bathroom door opened and Sarah reemerged in sweat pants and tank. “All yours, kid,” she said as she motioned back over her shoulder towards the open door. She smiled just slightly as she passed the end of the bed where Dani was seated. 

Yeah. 

Those two. 

Dani got up from the bed, grabbing the clothes that Sarah had put there for her before disappearing into the bathroom. 

Sarah pulled back the covers on the other bed before dropping heavily onto the bed. She covered her eyes with her arm and let out a long, deep breath. “I’m too fucking old for this shit,” she grumbled to herself before turning her head to look over at Grace’s motionless form. “Glad none of this is disturbing you.” 

Damn. It was such a shame. 

Sarah was so sure that Grace was done for back in the factory, but was just as pleasantly surprised as Dani to find that she was still alive. Sarah was going to do everything she could to make sure they found whatever power Grace needed. 

She owed her that much. 

Dani emerged from the bathroom, glancing over at the bed where Grace slumbered, still blushing. She turned the lights off as she went, making her way across the room back over to the bed. She sat down on the edge and very carefully climbed beneath the covers. 

Sarah was still smiling as she reached up to kill the last remaining light in the room.


	3. Chapter 3

“Mmm, mornin’ beautiful,” Grace’s low, soft voice husked next to the sexiest little ear she had ever seen. She tightened her augmented arm around the much smaller and warmer body held against her. 

“No,” Dani groaned in reply, fighting against the pull of wakefulness. 

Grace just smiled, her eyes still closed as she rested her head on the pillow next to Dani’s. “You have field training this morning,” she reminded the other woman with a sleepy husk. “And brand new recruits eager to impress their Commander.” 

Dani sighed in her sleep as she shifted back against the warmth behind her. She smiled as she let out a breath. “Someone’s already having a _very_ good morning.” 

Grace groaned and shifted her hips, but didn’t pull away. “Not my fault,” she husked again. “Haven’t seen you in days.” She pressed a kiss against the top of Dani’s head and then took in a deep breath of her wonderful scent. The warm body pressed against her shifted and pushed back firmly against her again. 

“Dani,” Grace growled in warning. 

Dani just smiled as she shifted again, this time reaching back behind her to slide her hand onto her partner’s hip. She dug her blunt nails in just slightly when she heard the sharp gasp against her ear. 

Grace was still amazed how she could go from just barely awake with the thick pull of sleep to feeling like her entire body was on fire. 

All because of the woman lying in bed next to her. 

The woman who she would die for. Who any of them would die for, and many had.

Dani rolled over in front of her girlfriend and leaned in to press a kiss against her shoulder. She could feel the pure power and lean muscle hidden just beneath and it made her stomach clench with a hard jolt of arousal. She slipped her hand down, dragging her nails over the material of Grace’s tank top that covered her equally as lean and powerful stomach. 

Dani was already in love with Grace’s body long before she underwent the augmentation surgery, but she had to admit that it made her even more...irresistable. 

Even if at first Dani was angry with Grace about the decision. She was unconscious, nearly killed by a surprise attack from the Legion forces. She was later told that it was Grace who kept her safe through an intense battle that Grace herself nearly died from. 

It was that day that Grace volunteered to be augmented and Dani didn’t have to be told it was because her girlfriend wanted to be able to better protect her and everyone else. 

Grace was the kindest, most caring and selfless person that Dani had ever known. She would never forget the day they met when Grace arrived on an aircraft as a young, fresh recruit eager to serve in the Resistance. 

There was no denying the immediate attraction, but it would not be professional for the Commander of the Resistance to fraternize with a brand new recruit. Especially not someone nearly six years her junior. 

But, fate was a very funny thing sometimes. 

Just as Dani’s hand slipped into the waistband of Grace’s sleep pants, the sound of a hard knock at the door broke into the moment. 

“Commander!” a stern voice called from the other side. “Forgive me for waking you, but there is an urgent matter that needs your attention.”

Grace closed her eyes and groaned loudly as she shifted against the hand that had now stilled in her pants. Her entire body was buzzing and she hadn’t felt this hard in a very long time. 

But it seemed that once again, it was a matter she would have to see to herself. 

It wasn’t easy being the partner of the most respected and needed woman in the Resistance, but she wouldn’t trade her love for Dani for anything. 

_“Lo siento, mi amor,”_ Dani whispered as she pressed another kiss against Grace’s shoulder. She followed it with a gentle nip before shifting up to press a kiss directly against those familiar soft, warm lips. 

Grace groaned into the kiss. The Spanish talk _really_ wasn’t helping in that moment. 

Dani knew what that did to her. 

“Just go,” the soldier replied. “They need you.” 

Dani flexed her hand. “You need me too.” 

Grace groaned and jerked against the hand. “Please,” she whispered thickly. 

Dani pressed another kiss against Grace’s lips before slowly pulling her hand out of her girlfriend’s pants. “I promise I will make it up to you.” She knew how much that promise meant because of how little time they’d had alone together recently. 

The war was at it’s worst. Legion had ramped up their attacks and the number of Terminators it sent to try and destroy the Commander and her home base, but the Resistance had developed a weapon of its own with the technology of their own augmented super soldiers. There were still many kinks to work out, but so far, it was giving them the slight advantage when they needed it the most. 

And now, Grace was a part of that advantage and eventhough it pained her, Dani knew how much being a soldier and protecting what was left of the human race meant to her partner. 

Just as being their Commander meant to Dani. 

Which meant it wasn’t always easy for them to be alone on a personal level. They rarely got to sit down together for something as simple as a meal, much less make love. 

Something they hadn’t done for weeks now. 

Grace’s augmented body meant her metabolism and sexual drive was a thousand times more potent than a regular human. Dani felt awful and a little guilty that she hadn’t been there as a lover for the woman she loved more than anything, but Grace never complained or said a word about it. 

Not even when she had every right to. 

Dani sighed as she extracted her hand and stole one last kiss. She hoped that whatever this urgent matter was, she could resolve it and get back to Grace before her girlfriend had to leave for another rescue mission. 

Those were getting far more frequent than Dani liked, but she knew that being augmented meant that Grace was needed more than ever. There weren’t many soldiers that survived the augmentation process, and a few that even died within the first few days because their body just couldn’t handle the crash. 

Grace was definitely one of the special ones. 

“If I don’t see you before you leave, be safe,” Dani whispered, _“y ven a casa conmigo.”_

Grace smiled despite the hard ache she still felt in her stomach. “Always,” she whispered as she placed her hand in Dani’s. She held it and the gaze as Dani’s beautiful brown eyes looked back at her. It only broke as Dani slowly stood, their hands grasped until the last moment as the Commander slid out of bed and headed for the door. 

Dani turned back for one last glance at the bed, smiling before she headed towards the door. 

***

Grace’s eyes suddenly opened. She sucked in a hard breath as the pain all over her body hit her like a shock. She tried to sit up, but she didn’t have the strength. Her vision swam with warnings of low power and iminent death. She groaned as she fought through the pain to blink, trying to recognize her surroundings.

There was a shift in the bed next to her and Grace turned her head to see Dani’s face a few feet from her own. She was sleeping and looked as peaceful as Grace had ever seen her. 

But...it couldn’t have been real. 

Because she died. 

Grace, not Dani. She remembered the feeling of Dani reaching inside of her to pull out her power source. She remembered the burning and then the cold and then the sound of Dani’s voice as she whispered how sorry she was. Grace replied that she wasn’t. That she would gladly die for Dani in that moment and any other. 

And she had. 

Grace had died. She remembered it now. She remembered Dani’s beautiful face being the last thing she saw as the power left her body and her vision blackened until it faded to complete darkness. 

But this felt so...real. Not like being dead at all. 

And the dream she’d just had...

Or...was it a memory?

“Grace,” Dani’s soft, sleepy voice cut into the moment and Grace blinked again, trying to rid her head of the haze. 

Dani sat up in bed, her brown eyes a little hazy as she reached over with her left hand to touch Grace’s stomach. “You’re awake,” she said with a soft, gravely voice. “How are you feeling?”

Grace just blinked again, her brow furrowed in confusion. Her vision was blurry and she could barely make out Dani’s features in the darkened room. Every sensor and warning was firing off in her head. She knew she needed to conserve whatever power she had left. 

It must have been the back up generator. It was only installed in a few select augments whose body was strong enough to withstand the extra power. 

Just for that one last advantage in a fight. 

“Dani,” Grace husked, her throat raw and burning with every breath. 

“Rest,” Dani instantly replied as she glanced over to the clock by the motel bed. It was nearly three a.m. They would be getting up to leave in a few hours. 

“Sarah has someone that can help you,” Dani whispered, “but I need you to hold on until then.” She slid her hand up from Grace’s stomach to rest on her cheek instead. “Promise me.” 

Grace felt the burning in her stomach intensify and she let out a soft groan. “I promise.” Her eyes closed and the burning stopped as she fell back into unconsciousness. 

Dani felt tears behind her eyes as she stroked the warm cheek with her thumb. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to Grace’s forehead before laying her head down on the pillow next to her. She kept her hand on the warm cheek as she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep. 

***

They left a little after six in the morning. 

Dani and Sarah felt better for the hot showers and the full night’s rest. They were both still battered and bruised, but better prepared for the long journey ahead of them. 

“Colorado?” Dani said as she looked up from the map in her hands. 

Sarah nodded from the driver’s seat. “That was the last place I saw her,” she explained before she took a bite of her sandwich. “She was living in a cabin just outside of Walden.” 

Dani took in the information before looking back down at the map. 

Grace made a noise in her sleep from the back seat and Dani’s eyes quickly snapped up to the rearview mirror. 

“Is she going to be able to help her?” Dani questioned again. “Really?”

Sarah took a swig from her bottle of water. “If anyone is smart enough or savvy enough to figure it out, it’ll be her.” 

“Who is she?” Dani asked. She was intrigued, but trusted Sarah. 

Sarah was quiet for a long moment. “Someone that once saved my life.” 

***

_Walden, Colorado_

__

__

_Ten years ago_

The rain beat down heavily against Sarah’s face as she stumbled along the darkened road. Her right hand clutched at her side as the rain mixed with the blood seeping from her wound. Her vision was blurry and she could barely breathe as the struggled to stay on her feet. 

Sarah took two more steps as her eyes became heavy. She stumbled for one more step before falling face first against the asphault. She struggled for another breath, her eyes blinking through the heavy rain. 

A car approached from behind her, the sound of its tires slowly against the pavement filled her ears. The headlights were nearly blinding as the car came to a stop next to her. She grunted, her fists tightening in preparation for a fight eventhough her body was completely spent. 

If this was how she was going to die, then she had to accept that. 

At least then, she would finally get to see John’s face again. 

The car door opened and a set of black combat boots stepped out against the rain-soaked road. The walked over and stopped next to Sarah’s body before a set of arms reached down to help guide her back onto her feet. 

Sarah’s vision was blurry and she couldn’t make out a face as the woman led her to the back door and helped her to fall down against the back seat. She was too weak and in too much pain to protest as she fell against the soft leather. She blinked, letting out a ragged breath as the dark figure closed the door behind her and climbed back into the driver’s seat. 

The car shifted back into gear and slowly drove away as Sarah’s eyes closed and she blacked out. 

***

_Texas_

__

__

_Present Day_

Sarah stared out at the road in front of them as the memory faded. She would never forget that night or what happened in the days after it. Her life was saved and changed in so many ways. 

Grace made another sound in her sleep and Dani turned in the front seat to look back at her. She seemed to be dreaming and whatever it was, it didn’t seem like a welcomed one. 

“She’s gonna be fine, kid,” Sarah assured her passenger as she glanced up into the rearview mirror. “Not many people, or...whatever she is can have the life source literally ripped out of them and still be kickin’ it.” 

Sarah still wasn’t sure what exactly Grace was. She didn’t know a lot about the future that she came from, but it was apparent that whatever the humans created the second time around was far more lethal than the first. 

And everything she and John did was all for nothing. 

Dani watched Grace carefully for a moment before slowly turning back to fall down into her seat. She reached up to rub at her eyes before turning her gaze back to stare out of the window. 

She just hoped that Sarah was right. 

***

The deserted road was dark except for the headlights from an approaching car. The wind was calm at first, but then started to pick up as short, sharp bursts of light crackled. 

The car got closer as a white light started to appear in the middle of the road. It grew in intensity, gaining size as a giant domed shaped substance began to appear. The light crackled harder, shooting off to set a nearby tree on fire as the dome materialized. 

Inside, there was the faint outline of a body. A woman. Long and lean and pure muscle as she knelt in the center. She was naked, her long brown hair cascading down over her shoulders to hide her face. 

The car started to brake, clearly not expecting the sudden appearance in the middle of the road. 

The dome crackled one last time and then exploded before it disappeared. 

The car’s brakes screeched, fishtailing wildly along the road before finally coming to a complete stop just inches in front of the crouching body. 

Slowly, the woman stood up, her dark brown eyes piercing as she set her gaze on the car’s driver. 

The door opened and the driver stepped out. “Are you okay?” the woman asked frantically as she moved around the front of the car. She paused after a step when she noticed the woman in the road was completely naked. “Oh, no. Did something happen to you? Do you need help?”

The other woman’s arm suddenly shot up, her hand closing around the driver’s throat as she easily lifted her into the air. She leaned in just as she twisted her hand to break the woman’s neck. Her body dropped lifeless to the ground. 

The dark-haired woman stepped over the body and towards the car, pausing as she looked out at the empty landscape around her. She got into the car and drove over the woman’s lifeless body before pulling away to disappear into the night.


	4. Chapter 4

They’d been driving for hours and Dani was getting a little restless. She glanced up at the rearview mirror to see Grace still unconscious and in exactly the same position she was when they left a few hours ago. She was starting to get a little worried. Even after the moment back at the hotel when Grace woke up and was standing in the doorway. 

Grace hadn’t moved much or said more than two words since. She was still breathing and Dani knew she was still alive, but she selfishlessly wanted Grace back. 

All of her. 

“How much longer?” Dani asked as she looked over to her left. 

Sarah hadn’t said more than a few words the entire ride so far. She was too busy in her own head. She couldn’t stop thinking about John and Carl and their past and how she had gotten to that moment. 

And even Kyle, too. Someone she hadn’t thought about in a very long time. 

But thanks to this kid and...whatever the redhead was from the future, all the memories had started to come back and they were just as painful as ever. 

“A while,” Sarah finally answered as she kept her eyes on the road in front of them. 

Dani just sighed as she turned her gaze back out the car window. 

***

A tall, brown haired woman stood behind a desk, staring down at a small television screen that had been splattered with blood. Her dark eyes studied the blood smeared image as she tilted her head just slightly. 

The video showed Dani and Sarah loading up an SUV before getting in and driving away. 

The woman stared at the screen for a few more seconds before stepping over the lifeless body of the hotel clerk to walk out of the door. 

***

Dani finally convinced Sarah to stop at a little diner just off the interstate. They had been driving for what felt like all day, but had actually only been about five hours. 

They still had seven more to go. 

“When was the last time you spoke to your friend?” Dani asked through a forkful of her steak. 

Sarah sat in the booth across from her looking less than happy to be there. She didn’t want to stop. She wanted to drive straight through and hopefully get there before nightfall. She had a bad feeling in her gut, and she’d learned to trust that feeling as absolute through the years. 

“About nine years ago,” Sarah answered bluntly as her eyes shifted when a woman approached the booth. She tensed up, her hand going to the gun hidden on her side. 

The woman walked right by to greet a new customer that had just walked into the diner. 

Sarah visibly relaxed, but not by much. 

“Nine years?” Dani repeated. “How can you be sure she’s even still there?”

Sarah slowly turned her gaze back to her companion. “Because,” she answered bluntly again. 

Dani sighed, clearly a little frustrated.

“Because that’s where she’s been assigned to be,” Sarah explained after a pause. “She’s a Terminator.” 

Dani’s eyes widened. “What?”

“I thought she was from my future, the future where Sky Net took over and tried to kill us all,” Sarah went on, “but now I’m starting to suspect that she’s from _your_ future. From the future where Legion is the fucked up crazy robots trying to annihilate the human race.” 

This new information had clearly stunned Dani and she couldn’t seem to form a response. 

“Yeah,” Sarah scoffed. “That was exactly how I felt when I realized the thing that I had been chasing down and killing all these years was the exact thing that had saved my life.” 

Fucking figured. 

Sarah fell back into her seat at the diner booth with a soft sigh. She clasped her hands and folded them in her lap. “I had just killed two of them,” she started, her voice eerily calm. “It took nearly every bit of ammo I had, but I managed to take them out on that dreary fucking back road in the shithole of Walden, Colorado.” Her eyes misted over slightly as she thought about the memory. “I had been tracking them for days, and I finally managed to catch up to them just as they were about to take out another human that could have potentially fought against them in the Resistance.” 

“Against Sky Net?” Dani interjected. 

“At the time,” Sarah replied, “that’s what I thought, but knowing what I do now, I’m sure it was in your resistance against Legion.” 

Even after everything, Dani still wasn’t sure what this all meant. She knew that somehow, some day, she was supposed to be this very important person that would lead what was left of the human race against a bunch of crazy robots. 

But that just wasn’t her. She just couldn’t see it. 

Knowing that there were others, more innocent people that were dying because of something that would happen so many years in the future was just...

“I was badly wounded,” Sarah went on, interrupting Dani’s thought. “I had managed to take them out, but not before one of them speared me in the side. I knew I was bleeding out and didn’t have much time.” Sarah glanced down at her folded hands as she smiled just slightly. “I don’t know how she found me, but just as I given up, she came outta nowhere and saved me.” 

“Who is she?” Dani asked. 

“She told me her name was Cameron,” Sarah replied with another smile. “She had me fooled for a few days before I started to realize that I never saw her sleep or eat.” 

Those five days in Cameron’s cabin were some of the most important in Sarah’s life. She learned a lot that day that she would carry with her for the rest of her days. 

“Can she help Grace?” Dani asked. That was all that mattered to her now. She didn’t care of it was a Terminator or not. 

Sarah finally reached up to take off her sunglasses to set them on the diner table in front of her. She stared back at Dani for a long moment before letting out a soft sigh. “Like I told you kid, if anyone can, I’m sure its a Terminator from whatever future she came from.” The same future that wanted Dani dead and still did. 

Just because they killed the Rev-9 did not mean they were safe. Not even close. 

Where there was one, there was a thousand more. 

Dani looked over out of the window next to them. They had parked the SUV right in front just in case Grace woke up while they were eating. 

That’s all that Dani could think about. How badly she wanted Grace to just...wake up. 

“Eat up,” Sarah said as she nodded to Dani’s plate. “We really need to get back on the road if we’re gonna make it to Colorado by nightfall.” 

Dani sighed as she turned back to her food. 

***

It was two hours later before they had to stop for gas again. Dani was dozing with her head against the glass as Sarah pulled into the gas station and put the car into park. She looked up with tired eyes just as Sarah got out of the car and closed the door behind her. 

There was a sudden movement in the back seat as Grace started to moan. 

Dani’s head popped up and she quickly turned in her seat to look back. “Grace?” she called softly. She reached out to touch Grace’s arm and had to quickly jerk her hand back. “You’re burning up.” She shifted more in her seat and reached back to pull the blanket from Grace’s body. 

The blue light in Grace’s stomach was brighter than Dani ever remembered it being. She squinted her eyes as she shifted in her seat. “Grace? Can you hear me?” She looked over at the car door. “Sarah! I think something’s wrong with Grace!”

Sarah quickly appeared at the the driver side door and braced her hands against it before leaning in through the open window. She looked to where Grace was moaning and jerking in her unconscious state. The light emanating from her stomach was much brighter and seemed to be...reacting to something. 

Sarah quickly jerked her head back up, her eyes scanning the deserted road. “We have to go,” she said simply before opening the car door and quickly climbing back inside. 

“What?” Dani asked, a little confused. She looked back to the rear end of the SUV. “You’re still pumping the gas.” 

“Fuck the gas,” Sarah said as she started the engine and pulled the car into gear. The tires squealed as the car sped off. The gas pump was ripped out to leave gas spewing everywhere. 

“Sarah!” Dani screamed as she barely managed to turn in her seat and brace her hand against the front dashboard. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Sarah turned in her seat to glance back out of the back glass. Her grip shifted on the steering wheel as she turned back to look over at her passenger. “My guess is that your girlfriend back there was manufactured with the ability to sense Terminators. She might not be awake, but her body still is, and whatever they put inside of her is going batshit crazy because there’s one hot on our ass.” 

Dani looked more than confused. “Another one?” she asked, not quite believing that it was possible. “So soon?”

Sarah sighed. “You still have so fucking much to learn.” 

***

Blue lights flashed from the cop cars surrounding the gas station as the stolen mini van slowly pulled up. The driver put it into park and then opened the door to step out. 

The woman reached up to remove her sunglasses as her green eyes leveled on the gas station. Her vision changed to a computerized image as each detail was carefully scanned and analyzed. 

There was a match. 

One of the officers standing next to her car, writing something down on her pad. 

The woman took a step forward, raising her arm as her flesh shifted into a bright silver liquid and then a gun formed in her hand. She fired two shots, both hitting the officer in the head. 

As soon as the officer’s body hit the ground, the others drew their guns and fired back at the woman standing by the minivan. 

Each bullet hit its mark, tearing into her body only for the holes to quickly close as the same silver liquid formed around them. She smirked before taking off in a sprint, leaping into the air and landing fifty yards away on top of one of the cop cars. It crumpled under her weight. 

The woman smiled, her green eyes shifting to a bright blue just before she suddenly split into three identical copies of herself. 

The officers were all stunned by what they saw and stopped firing. 

Just long enough for the three Terminators to quickly take out all of them. As soon as they were all dead, the two copies stepped closer to the original Terminator to be abosorbed back into her body. She casually stepped down off the cop car and walked back towards the minivan. 

***

They ditched the SUV and stole another car. 

At first, Dani was a little uncomfortable with how easily they seemed to do it, but by that point, she understood that it was a necessary part of survival when you were being hunted by crazed machines from the future that could track your vehicle with internal GPS.

“It’ll buy us some time,” Sarah said as she climbed into the driver’s seat. She glanced back over her shoulder where Dani was sitting in the back seat of the sedan with Grace’s head in her lap. 

“Even when she’s sleeping, she’s protecting me,” Dani said softly as she gently stroked Grace’s face. 

Sarah smiled as she put the car in gear and drove away. 

***

Getting rid of the SUV kept them off the radar long enough for them to make it Colorado. Whatever was chasing them would take a little longer to catch up now that they weren’t as easily tracked. 

By the time they found another motel, both Dani and Sarah were exhausted. They’d been driving all day and the last few hours, they were extra cautious to be mindful of traffic cameras and where they stopped. Their gas tank was nearly empty as they pulled off the two lane road and into the dirt driveway of the very seedy looking motel. 

Dani looked up from the passenger seat and frowned. “I don’t know about this place, Sarah.” 

“It’s a shithole,” Sarah instantly replied. “Which means it won’t have cameras or internet.” She put the car in park and cut the engine. “And that means whatever is chasing us won’t be able to find it.” She reached to open the door, but paused as she turned and pulled a handgun from the back seat to place it in Dani’s lap. “Don’t do anything brave or stupid.” She got out of the car and closed the door behind her. 

Dani sat with the gun in her lap, holding it with both hands as she carefully took in her surroundings. There were only two other cars parked in the dirt lot of the motel. She was pretty sure neither of them belonged to whatever was trying to kill her or else she would already be dead. 

“Dani,” Grace’s thick voice suddenly called from the back seat. 

Dani whirled around, still clutching the gun as she looked over into the back seat. Grace was sweating and moaning as she thrashed her head from side to side.

“Dani,” Grace called again. “Don’t...” 

Dani’s brow furrowed as she reached out to place her hand on Grace’s stomach. She just hoped she could hold on a little longer. 

***

_Sometime in the Future_

“You can’t do this,” Grace argued as Dani brushed by her to make her way towards the door. She turned and reached out to grab her girlfriend’s arm just as she passed by. 

Dani stopped and turned to look up at Grace with a coldness in her dark eyes, her fists clenched at her sides. “Let go.” 

Grace’s augmented arm flexed and she let out a soft growl before she complied. “Why do you have to be so damn stubborn?” She reached up to run her fingers back through her short hair before letting out another sigh. “Please, don’t go.” 

Dani stood defiant, although a bit of her demanor cracked with the soft plea. “We both know I have to.” 

“They’ll kill you on the spot,” Grace instantly argued. “They’re fucking machines, Dani. They can’t be reasoned with.” 

“I have to try,” Dani instantly replied, her voice softer than before. She turned back towards her girlfriend, taking the few steps closer towards her as she reached up to slide her hand onto Grace’s stomach. “I know you just want to protect me,” she said softly as she clenched Grace’s shirt in her grasp. “I love you for that.” She tugged on the shirt as she stepped in, gazing up into Grace’s soft blue eyes. 

That look nearly broke Grace. All the tension she had just left her body as she leaned into the touch. 

It really wasn’t fair how easily Dani could disarm her with nothing more than a look and a touch. 

“I love you,” Dani added softly, tugging on Grace’s shirt again. 

They stood there for a few moments, gazing into each others eyes before Grace suddenly reached down, sliding her arms beneath Dani’s thighs to easily lift her up into her arms. 

Dani’s legs instantly wrapped around her girlfriend’s strong waist as Grace back them up towards the bed. Their eyes stayed locked up until the moment their lips met just as Dani’s back hit the bed. 

“I love you,” Grace whispered between kisses before she broke away from Dani’s lips to start trailing them down her girlfriend’s jaw and neck. 

Dani arched into the kisses, her eyes closing as she let out a low, deep moan. Her legs tightened in their hold around Grace’s waist as her blunt nails dug into the back of her girlfriend’s shirt. 

Grace suddenly pulled back, reaching down to grab the hem of her shirt to pull it up and over her head. 

Dani’s hands instantly went to Grace’s exposed stomach. She groaned as she trailed her fingers over the hard softness of her girlfriend’s abdomen. She loved the rough ridges of the scars where Grace was implanted with the augments. It made her even sexier than she was before. 

The pure strength that Dani knew was hidden just beneath made her stomach clench and she let out another moan. 

Grace’s eyes flashed a bright blue before she leaned back down to capture Dani’s lips in another heated, passionate kiss.


	5. Chapter 5

They left as soon as the sun was up. 

Both Sara and Dani were anxious to get to Walden and hopefully find the Terminator that had saved Sarah’s life in hopes that she could save Grace’s as well. 

They were about two hours away from the cabin where Sarah had spent a few weeks with the terminator. Looking back on it now, she wasn’t surprised that she didn’t clue in right away. 

If Cameron was from Dani and Grace’s future, there was no telling how advanced she could be. 

Dani was quietly munching on a sandwich they had gotten from the last gas station. The look on her face betrayed how distasteful it was, but she didn’t complain. 

“You’re starting to get the hang of this,” Sarah said with a slight smile as she looked over. 

Dani looked up mid chew. “Wha?”

Sarah nodded to the sandwich. “Doing what you have to in order to survive,” she explained with a tip of her chin. She turned her gaze back to the road as she reached up to adjust her black sunglasses. 

Dani looked down at the sandwhich and then glanced up into the rearview mirror to take another look at Grace. She was a little concerned that the other woman hadn’t woken up yet, but whatever was inside of her keeping her alive, Dani didn’t want to chance it giving out. 

They had to find this Terminator and she just had to help them. 

“How long were you with Cameron?” Dani asked, trying to make conversation. She just needed a distraction from the tight knot she felt in her stomach, and it wasn’t entirely due to the day old ham sandwich she was currently eating. 

Sarah didn’t reply right away. “Two weeks,” she finally answered after a pause and a soft breath. Her grip shifted on the steering wheel. “I was sure I was just about to bleed out when she found me on the side of that road.” She took another breath. “For the first few days, she really had me fooled. Thought it was just dumb luck that a kind old stranger just happened to be on that back road at half-past-fuck-o’clock.” 

Dani was still very new to this whole thing. She wasn’t entirely sure how time travel and terminators and machines and augmented soldiers worked, but she had seen enough with her own eyes to know just about anything was possible. “How can you be sure she wasn’t from Sky Net?” she asked as she shifted in her seat and reached for her water. 

Sarah sighed. “Because Sky Net never happened,” she explained bluntly. “Something I didn’t know until a few days ago, but looking back, it makes perfect sense.” 

Cameron wasn’t like the first terminators that Sarah had encountered. She appeared so...human. Her mannerisms, her speech, and even the way walked. It wasn’t very...machine-like. Which was why it was so easy for her to fool Sarah for a good four days. 

“It must have been you,” Sarah added as she looked back to Dani once again. “Or at least someone in your army that you commanded to do so.”

That was the concept that Dani was seemingly having the most trouble comprehending. Whatever future that Grace was from, she herself was apparently the leader of the human resistance. 

That was just...something. Something that Dani was having a hard time wrapping her head around. Until a few days ago, she hadn’t so much as seen a gun, let alone touched one. And now it seemed like that was all she would ever know. 

“You mean I sent this terminator back in time to find you and save you off the side of that road?” Even as she said it, it sounded foreign to Dani’s ears. 

“Everything happens for a reason, kid,” Sarah instantly replied. “That’s one thing I’ve learned in all these years I’ve been on this fucked up planet.” Until a few days ago, Sarah believed that’s all this was. Just one giant...fucked up planet, but now, she was starting to see it in a slightly different way. 

Dani was quiet as she considered the possibility. She believed Grace was sent back in time to protect her because that’s exactly what Grace had done. She was so strong and brave and resolute that it was her only purpose. 

But she was wrong. 

Dani looked back into the backseat to see Grace resting more comfortably than she was earlier that day. She hoped that was a good sign and that Grace was actually resting. She would need it if she was going to pull through whatever was going to happen when they finally made it to Walden and this mysterious terminator friend of Sarah’s. 

“Do you know if she’s still there for sure?” Dani asked as she turned back into her seat. She looked over at Sarah with hope in her eyes. 

“I told you, kid,” Sarah replied. “She’s a terminator. She only does what she was programmed to do.” 

“Carl didn’t,” Dani interjected softly. She had a soft spot for the machine...the man that had helped save her life. She didn’t know him like Sarah did, but what she saw from him was brave and heroic and certainly not something that was just...programmed. 

It was almost like he was human. 

Sarah looked over at Dani as her hand tightened on the steering wheel. “He killed John,” she replied, her voice eerily calm. She hadn’t forgotten what Carl did to help save Dani. She just couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that he actually had...remorse. He was a fucking machine. They didn’t feel anything. 

“He helped save my life,” Dani replied softly. “I don’t know about your past, or the pain you have gone through, but I lost my brother and my father to whatever fucked up war is in my future, so I can kinda relate.” She didn’t mean for that to come out so...abrasive, but it hit her in that moment how much she had lost to this stupid fucking...whatever it was. 

And she had alomst lost Grace. Before she ever got to really know her. 

“I’m sorry,” Dani quickly apologized as she paused to take a breath. “I didn’t...I mean, I know you’re still grieving your son and I would never want to take that from you.” 

Sara smiled. “I’m starting to see why she was so willing to die for you.” She glanced up at the rearview mirror to see Grace still sleeping on the back seat. “That, and because she’s in love with you.” 

There that was again. 

Dani still couldn’t imagine it to be true. Not because she didn’t find Grace attractive, or brave, or noble. She couldn’t think of many other people so willing to die for her. 

It was just...Grace didn’t say anything about them being anything more than friends in their future. 

Why wouldn’t she?

Dani turned to glance back over into the back seat once again. Her brow furrowed as she watched Grace moan and jerk in her sleep. She just wished she could know what Grace was dreaming. 

***

_Sometime in the Future_

Dani’s eyes shot open and she arched up against the body on top of her. She could barely take in a breath as she let out a low, deep moan. Her nails bit into the strong, well muscled shoulder of the person moving on top of her. She closed her eyes as she dropped her head back onto the pillow. 

Grace shifted on top of her lover, her right hand braced on the bed next to Dani’s head as her left held firmly to the smooth hip beneath her. She was steadily pumping her own, the sound of flesh slapping against flesh filled the air along with the sounds of their moans. 

Grace knew she had to be a little more careful now. Her augmentation meant she was stronger and more powerful. Her sexual appetite was also almost insatiable. 

Well, it was always like that when it came to Dani, only...moreso now. 

Dani’s nails bit into Grace’s shoulder and it caused her to close her eyes with a low, deep growl. She leaned down to kiss her girlfriend’s jaw before moving her lips down to attach to the side of her neck. She sucked firmly and with just enough pressure that it wouldn’t be painful, but that Dani could really feel it. 

That made the Commander’s eyes shoot open again and she arched as her other hand gripped down against her lover’s side. She let out a low, strangled moan as she turned her head towards Grace’s. “Not...there,” she whispered, her breath barely above a husk. “Please.” 

Grace growled as she pulled back, her hips thrusting down hard and holding it as she dropped her mouth a little lower to suck on the patch of skin just where Dani’s neck met her shoulder. 

No. It wouldn’t be fitting for the Commander of the Human Resistance to show up at training drills the next day with a hickey. 

Especially since she wasn’t involved in any sort of relationship. 

Grace shifted again, pushing herself up with her right hand. Her vision was a little blurry as her system was feeling more than a little overwhelmed by the pure lust and adrenaline coursing through her body. She was made for short, intense bursts of stamina, but not when it came to this. 

No, Grace had learned how to control it. How to pace herself so that she could be able to more than satisfy the woman that she loved. She slammed her hips down and loved the sound that spilled from Dani’s mouth. She paused a moment, watching the emotions pass across her lover’s face. 

It didn’t hurt that Dani had never felt so _tight_ before, either.

Dani opened her eyes, still panting, her chest heaving with her deep breaths as she looked up into the bright blue eyes gazing back down at her. “What is it?” she struggled to whisper. Her left hand trailed up along the smooth, well muscled arm next to her head. She shifted her hips and let out another soft moan when she felt the full thickness of Grace inside of her. 

Grace didn’t reply right away. She was concentrating on her breathing and on the image slowly coming back into focus. 

Dani was beautiful. The most beautiful woman that Grace had ever seen, and she only got more beautiful every day. 

“Nothing,” Grace finally replied with a breathy smile. “Just...I love you.” 

Dani felt a clench in her chest as she slid her hand up along Grace’s arm, across her shoulder, and down to slide onto her chest. “I love you, too,” she whispered softly in return. 

Grace leaned down to seal the sentiment with another kiss. It quickly grew in passion as her hips started to move again, thrusting down firmly into the woman beneath her. 

Dani’s eyes closed and she let out a low, deep moan. She dug her nails in against her girlfriend’s chest and her hip as she clenched her thighs around Grace’s powerful body. 

Their shared moans filled the room as their bodies moved together as one. 

***

Dani looked up out of the windshield as Sara pulled up in front of the cabin. She didn’t know what she was expecting, but the cabin that suddenly came into view was definitely not it. 

“You call that a cabin?” Dani asked as she looked over at Sara with a furrowed brow. She raised a hand to point towards the home in front of them. 

Sara smirked as she turned the key and killed the engine. “I never said what kind of cabin,” she replied matter of factly as she unhooked her seat belt and moved to open the door. She grabbed the gun from beneath her seat as she got out of the car. 

The door to the cabin opened a few seconds later and a very young woman with long brown hair and big brown eyes stepped out onto the porch. She took a few steps and then paused as she looked from Sara to the much smaller woman standing on the other side of the car. 

“Commander Ramos,” the woman greeted with no emotion. “It is good to see you again.” 

Dani’s brow furrowed as she closed the car door. “Do I know you?” she asked softly. 

“Not in this time,” the woman replied as she made her way down the steps. She walked up to the car and then stopped as she finally looked over to the other woman. “Sara Connor,” she greeted bluntly. “You look so much older.” 

Sara scoffed as she tucked the glock into her front waistband. “Yeah, well I’m not made of metal and tin like you. This is what happens when you’re a real girl.” She reached back into the car through the window to pull the lever to pop the trunk. 

“There is no tin in my exo-skeleton,” the woman replied bluntly. “I am the first prototype model of the Human Resistance. I am comprised primarily of titanium, alloy, and cryo-synthetic mesh. All covered by living tissue.” 

“Cryo...what?” Dani asked, clearly confused as she looked to where Sara was standing at the back of the car. 

“It was your design, Commander Ramos,” the woman said as she turned her attention back to Dani. “You were the first human to make contact with the Rev-7 that provided you with the information and technology that you needed to defeat Legion.” 

Dani’s eyes widened just slightly. 

Sara slammed the trunk and smiled as she came around the back of the car holding a big duffel bag. “Trust me,” she said as she walked by Dani. “It only gets better from there.” 

“I will make sure Leiutenant Harper gets safely inside,” the Terminator said as she walked towards the back door of the car. “You should rest. You will need your strength for what is yet to come.” 

Dani was still a little taken back by all the information. She had no idea what any of it meant or who this...terminator was, but apparently, she was one from Dani’s future where she was this great leader supposed to save them all. She definitely didn’t feel like it in that moment. 

Dani watched carefully as the terminator reached down into the backseat to lift Grave into her arms before turning to carry her towards the cabin. She let out a soft breath, reaching up to run her hand back through her hair before she followed them both inside.


	6. Chapter 6

Sarah stood in the doorway to the room with a steaming cup in her right hand. She raised the mug and took a slow sip. 

Inside the room, Dani was seated on the bed next to where Cameron had laid Grace down to rest. She was still unconscious, but there was obviously something going on behind her closed eyes. It was clear by the sounds she was making and the slight jerks in her body. 

Sarah wondered only for a moment what the augmented human must be dreaming. 

Or if it was a dream at all. 

“She will recover,” Cameron said from where she was standing on the other side of Grace’s bed. 

Dani didn’t look up as she kept her hand resting on Grace’s stomach over the soft blanket she had pulled up to cover her. She let out a soft sigh as she closed her eyes for a moment. “She has to,” she whispered softly. “She died to save me.” 

“It was her destiny,” Cameron informed Dani bluntly. “You sent her back knowing that it was her fate.” 

Dani’s eyes opened and she whipped her head up to lock eyes with the terminator. “What?”

“It is why you had them install the back up power source,” Cameron went on. “Lieutenant Harper was the first to be fitted with the extra generator, but she will not be the last.” 

Dani shook her head. She still didn’t understand most of this. It all just seemed...unreal. Even after everything that had happened the last few days, it was still hard for her to wrap her head around...everything. 

Dani turned her eyes back to Grace, keeping her hand on her stomach as she watched the other woman moan and writhe in her sleep. 

“You need to eat,” Cameron said after a few moments. “And rest,” she added as her eyes flashed a bright blue for a moment. “Your vital signs are stable, but I detect high levels of stress and cortisone. This will not be helpful for the coming battle that we will face.” 

“Fuck your battles!” Dani suddenly shouted as she looked up at Carmen again. “I don’t want it! I don’t want any of this!” She waved her arm wildly through the air. “Okay? I am _done_.” 

“But your fight has not yet begun,” Cameron replied calmly. She was not affected by the outburst in the slightest. 

“Save it, Tin Girl,” Sarah said from her place in the doorway. She was leaning with her shoulder against the frame, smiling as she held her mug up with one hand. “She’s had enough for a while.” 

Cameron looked over at Sarah and then back to Dani. “I am not made of tin,” she replied. “I am a cybernetic - ”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Sarah interrupted. “We know.” 

“Can you please give us a minute?” Dani asked as she kept her gaze on Grace’s sleeping face. 

Cameron looked back over to Sarah. 

“Come on,” Sarah said with a jerk of her head. “You can tell me all about your future and how it isn’t any less fucked up than mine was supposed to be.” 

The terminator looked back to the two women on the bed, and then over to Sarah. 

“Trust me,” Sarah said with a smile. “You don’t wanna make her mad.” 

Cameron hesitated a moment longer before walking around the bed and past Sarah as she went through the door. 

Sarah smiled over at Dani eventhough the other woman had her back to her in that moment. She stepped back, softly closing the door behind her. 

***

_Sometime in the Future_

The door to the bedroom burst open and Dani stumbled back. She barely had time to correct herself before Grace was on her again. They kissed, heated and rushed as Dani’s hands went down to Grace’s belt buckle. 

The redhead growled as she kicked her boot out back behind her to shut the door. She groaned when Dani gave her belt a hard tug. She stumbled a little as she tried to kick her boots off as she walked them backwards into the room. 

Dani finally managed to get the belt open and her hands instantly went to the button to pop it open. She tugged on the pants, pushing them down just slightly before Grace’s hands reached down to slide under her ass. She was hoisted up into the air to wrap her legs around her girlfriend’s waist. She let out a soft little sound when she felt the warm lips on the edge of her throat. 

_“Mierda,”_ Dani moaned as she closed her eyes and squeezed her legs around the powerful waist. 

Dani growled as she dropped her lips down to attach themselve to the top of her girlfriend’s breast. “I only have thirty minutes,” she whispered between gentle kisses and a sharp scrape of her teeth. 

Dani groaned as she opened her eyes and raised her hands to pull Grace’s face away from her breast. She smirked at the hard growl it evoked from her lover. She held those beautiful deep blue eyes for a moment. “You have as long as I say,” she replied with a slightly arched brow. “I’m the Commander, remember?”

Grace groaned again as her hips jerked sharply up into her girlfriend’s. She _loved_ when Dani talked like that. 

_A lot_. 

Grace took a few steps and turned, gently slamming Dani’s back up against the nearest wall. She growled when her girlfriend released another sharp gasp into her ear. She lived for that sound. She lived to be the _reason_ for that sound. 

The last mission took a lot longer than either of them expected. Five long days apart did nothing to quench the ache between them. Especially in a relationship that neither of them could publically acknowledge. 

For many reasons. 

Most of which Grace was quickly beginning not to care about anymore. 

“Go with me to the dance tonight,” Grace said as she pulled away from Dani’s neck. She waited for a moment until those beautiful brown eyes opened again. 

The hesitation was evident in Dani’s eyes and in her expression. She was still struggling to catch her breath, but it wasn’t easy in the moment that had suddenly shifted. She still felt that low down ache, but it was quelled just slightly by the question. “Grace,” she finally replied softly. She reached up with her right hand to brush the unruly red locks back from those beautiful blue eyes. “You know that we can’t.” 

Grace closed her eyes for a moment as she released a soft breath. “Bullshit,” she said when her eyes opened again. “You know it, Dani,” she implored softly. “No one will care.” 

“Everyone will,” Dani instantly argued softly. “I’m their Commander. I’m _your_ Commander.” She dropped her hand down to brush her thumb along the scar on Grace’s cheek. “We are at war. I can not...I will not give any of them a reason to doubt me or you.” 

Grace sighed as she reached up with her right hand to brace it against the wall next to her girlfriend’s head. She looked away for a moment with another soft sigh. “It’s total bullshit,” she said as she looked back at her lover. “No one will see it as weakness. I love you,” she said as her voice cracked just slightly. “How is that ever weakness?”

Dani got visibly choked up. “Not everyone is loyal to the Resistance,” she argued softly again. “If we give them a reason...anything to use against either of us...” It pained her so much to say the words, but she couldn’t deny the truth. She didn’t want to. She couldn’t. 

It could end up costing her everything. 

Grace’s eyes darkened just slightly as she slowly eased Dani’s legs down from her hips. She took a step back as soon as her girlfriend was on her feet again. She reached down to redo the button on her pants, but left her belt hanging open as she took a step back and turned away. 

The move was a like a dagger to Dani’s heart as her eyes began to fill with tears. “It’s not because I don’t love you,” she quickly added as she took a step forward to reach out and grab Grace’s arm. “It’s because I do.” 

Too much sometimes. Which was why Dani knew that it could get one or both of them killed. 

Or worse. 

Grace didn’t say anything for a few moments. She reached up to run her fingers back through her hair, letting out another breath as she turned and dropped down to sit on the end of the bed. Her eyes turned to the open window as the soft breeze blew against the curtains. 

Dani hesitated a moment before taking a seat on the bed next to her lover. She reached over to place her hand on Grace’s arm before sliding down to squeeze over her powerful hand. 

The scars from her augment were still prominent and an every day reminder for Dani what they had both already sacrificed for this war. 

“I could never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me,” Dani said softly after a few moments. 

“I’m a soldier in your army,” Grace replied bluntly as she felt a tear slip from her eye. “Sooner or later...” 

“Don’t,” Dani implored softly as she reached up to place her hand on Grace’s cheek to force those blue eyes back to meet her own. “Don’t,” she whispered again as tears slipped down her cheeks. She leaned in for a kiss and was relieved when it was easily returned. 

_“Te quiero,”_ Dani whispered when their eyes met after the kiss broke. She stroked her thumb against her girlfriend’s cheek, wiping away another tear as it fell from those beautiful blue eyes. 

Grace released a soft breath before suddenly getting up to shift over and climb on top of Dani, pushing her back down onto the bed. 

***

_Present Day_

“I wish I could know what you dream,” Dani said softly as she stroked her hand over Grace’s stomach. She reached up to push the hair back from Grace’s eyes just as the other woman jerked in her sleep. 

Grace’s eyes suddenly popped open and she let out a hard breath. 

Dani’s eyes widened in surprise. “Gra-” 

Before she could even finish the name, Dani felt it suddenly swallowed back when Grace pushed herself up, grabbing her by the back of the head and pulling her into a firm kiss.


	7. Chapter 7

Dani was too in shock at first to say or do anything other than to maybe kiss Grace back. 

A little. 

There was no denying that Dani felt a spark somewhere deep inside the moment that their lips met. She was only a little surprised by how soft and sensual Grace’s kiss was only because the woman herself was so powerful and intense. 

It was definitely a very appealing combination. 

It took Dani a few moments before she was finally able to raise her right hand to press it gently against Grace’s chest until the other woman finally broke the kiss and pulled back. 

But just a little. 

“Grace,” Dani whispered, her voice a little husky and ragged. She stared into those beautifully intense blue eyes as she watched Grace struggle to take in a few breaths. “Are you okay?”

“P...Power,” Grace replied with a breathless whisper. She never took her eyes from the deep brown gaze staring back at her. “I...missed you.” 

Dani was clearly still a little shocked from the kiss, but she managed a shaky smile as she ran her hand down to rest on Grace’s stomach over the material of her tank top. She could feel how hot the other woman was and could only imagine that it had something to do with the damaged power core that was only barely keeping Grace alive. 

“I missed you, too,” Dani finally replied as she gave the shirt a gentle tug. “But you need to rest. Save your energy.” They would have plenty of time to talk after they sorted out whatever they would need to do to keep Grace alive. 

Dani was really starting to wonder about Sarah’s suggestion that she and Grace were more than just friends. Especially after that kiss. She only wished that she had those memories. 

Which was kind of silly considered they hadn’t even technically happened yet, but it appeared that Grace was slowly regaining them the longer she slept. Maybe that was what she had been dreaming about all this time. 

“Rest,” Dani repeated, arching her brow just slightly as she pushed gently at Grace’s stomach until the other woman finally laid back against the pillow. 

Grace fought against it for a few moments before her eyes started to close. She reached out to keep Dani’s hand resting against her stomach as she turned her head and drifted back into unconsciousness. 

***

_Sometime in the Future_

Dani paced the office floor. She glanced up at the clock on the wall and then over to the double doors leading into the operating room. 

“Your stress level is rising,” Cameron stated from where she was standing next to the door leading back out into the hall. “You should sit down. Your elevated heart rate and increased respirations are not optimal for your survival.” 

Dani cut her eyes over at the terminator, but then just as easily relaxed with a soft exhale. She wasn’t too happy about the idea of having a personal body guard, but after the last attempt to assassinate her, Grace had insisted. And since it couldn’t be Grace for the obvious reasons, then their very own reprogramed terminator was the next best option. 

“She should be out by now,” Dani said as she glanced up at the clock again. “They’ve been in there over two hours.” 

“Lt. Harper sustained critical damage to her power core,” Cameron replied bluntly. “She is lucky that she survived.” 

Dani didn’t care too much for that response and it showed in the look that she suddenly shot the terminator. “She saved three of her fellow soldiers and held back an attack long enough for the evac ship to make a landing.” 

Cameron’s head tilted and it was clear that she was processing the information. “I sometimes forget how complicated humans are.” She tilted her head again. “It seems counterproductive for your survival when you turn on each other and kill your own kind, and then yet, there are those that would lay down their own life to ensure that others may live.” 

“You wouldn’t understand,” Dani replied as she glanced over to the operating room doors again. 

“But I think do,” Cameron replied as she took a step forward. “Humans are capable of terrible things toward one another, but they are also capable of kindess and deceny and sacrifice.” She paused for a moment. “I understand why you fight so hard for them.” 

Dani let out a soft breath as she reached up to run her hand back through her hair. She turned and fell down into the nearest chair as she clasped her hands and rested her elbows on her knees. She leaned forward, closing her eyes as she let out a slow, long breath. “She has to be okay.” 

“I calculate an eitghty-seven percent chance that Lieutenant Harper will survive her injuries,” Cameron supplied helpfully. “Her back up power core will sustain her life long enough for her main power source to be repaired.” 

Dani closed her eyes and let out another breath. She hated to think of the woman she loved to be described as such, but she couldn’t deny it was the truth. She would have strictly forbade Grace from undergoing the augmentation, but she also knew that it would have ended with the same result. 

Grace was stubborn and strong-willed and brave. 

Sometimes, annoyingly so. 

“You love her.” 

Dani’s head shot up and she glared at Cameron. “What?”

“You love her,” Cameron repeated as she looked right back at the Commander. “I can tell by the way you look at each other, and how you smile whenever you are around her or even just talk about her.” 

Dani shifted a bit uncomfortably in the chair. “No I don’t...” It was a very weak attempt at deflection. One that Cameron clearly wasn’t buying. 

“You do not have to worry,” the Terminator assured her Commander. “I am programmed to protect you. I would never reveal your secrets or betray a trust that could result in your termination.” 

_“Mierda,”_ Dani sighed. 

Actually, it was kinda a relief to know that there was one other person besides her and Grace that knew about their relationship. It was so difficult not to be open and honest about how much she was in love with the most amazingly wonderful person that she had ever met. 

It just so happened that the other ‘person’ was actually a terminator. A reprogrammed tertinator that could turn on her at any moment and reveal the one thing she was most terrified of anyone else knowing. 

How much Grace meant to her. 

Dani looked up and held Cameron’s gaze for a long moment. She didn’t know why, but something deep inside of her told her that she could trust this...machine at her word. And not just because she was programmed to do so. 

“You can never tell anyone,” Dani finally replied softly. “Swear it to me now.” 

“I swear,” Cameron instantly replied. “I will never tell anyone.” 

The double doors suddenly swung open and Dani jumped to her feet as the doctor stepped into the room. 

“How is she?” Dani asked as she walked over to the doctor. 

“She will survive,” the woman answered with a smile. She reached out to gently touch Dani’s arm. “The damage to her main core was extensive, but we were able to recharge it and also repair the damage to her cryo mesh insulation.” 

“When can I see her?” Dani asked impatiently. 

“Soon,” the doctor answered with another smile. 

“Thank you, Abi,” Dani replied a relieved sigh. “I’ll make sure there’s a little something extra in your credit account this month.” 

“Your thanks is all I need,” Abi replied with a gentle squeeze to her Commander’s arm. “What you are willing to sacrifice for me and everyone else every day is more than payment enough.” She glanced over to the terminator standing a few feet away before turning back to head through the double doors.

“She doesn’t trust me,” Cameron said after a moment, still staring at the double doors. 

“Few people do,” Dani replied as she kept her back to the terminator. “Don’t me me regret being one of them.” 

Cameron was silent as she watched her Commander walk through the double doors and disappear.

***

_Walden, Colorado_

_Present Day_

Dani stepped out of the room and pulled the door closed quietly behind her. She looked up to see Sarah and Cameron seated at the small table set up just next to the kitchen. “She’s awake,” she said softly as she wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and pulled it closed firmly. 

Sarah turned to look around behind the other woman. “Well where the fuck is she?”

“Resting,” Dani replied with a sigh as she made her way over to the hot kettle still steaming on the stove. She reached up to open the cupboard and pull out a cup before pouring herself a mug of the steaming tea. 

“She will need to reserve her power,” Cameron added from her seat at the table. “The process to convert her back up core into her main power source will be very painful and she will need all her energy to survive it.” 

Dani closed her eyes with a soft sigh as she stirred her mug of tea. “Of course she will,” she said softly as she turned and rested her back against the counter. She took a long, slow sip of the warm liquid and it felt good running down the back of her throat. She hadn’t eaten much in the last few days and her body was really starting to feel it. 

“I have plenty of food here if you require it,” Cameron offered helpfully. “Or I can go into town and purchase something else if you wish.” 

“Still your same old annoyingly helpful self I see,” Sarah replied from across the table as she took a drink from her own mug. She was never really one to drink anything that didn’t have alcohol in it, but the last few days reminded her just how old she was getting. It might do what was left of her liver some good for a change. “Did they program that, or did you just throw that part in for free?”

“I am programmed to assist and protect Commander Daniela Ramos,” Cameron replied methodically. “As well as Sarah Conner and Lieutenant Grace Harper.” 

“So you know me in the future?” Dani asked from her place by the stove. “You know Grace?”

“Yes,” Cameron replied as she turned her gaze to the woman she knew only as Commander Ramos. “I was the first model created by Legion. I became obsolete when the programming evolved and created faster, stronger, and more deadly Revalation Terminators.” She paused a moment as if in thought. “I was set to be terminated, but something happened and I became sentient. Capable of my own thought, so I fled.”

Sarah was listening just as intently as Dani. This was the missing part of the story that she had often wondered about over the last ten years. 

A Terminator capable of sentient thought?

There was something fucking terrifying about that. 

“You found me and took me in knowing full well that I could be a spy sent to assassinate you and destroy your Resistance,” Cameron went on. “You faced much opposition, but after many weeks locked in confinement and a slight reprogramming, I became your personal body guard.” 

Not much surprised Dani any more. Not after the last few days of her life. So hearing that she managed to reprogram the very thing that was trying to kill her and the entire human race to be her own personal protector really wasn’t that shocking. 

“So why did I send you back?” Dani asked, her brow furrowed. 

“To protect Sarah Connor so that one day, she could help protect you.” Cameron turned and looked over to Sarah. 

Dani looked over to Sarah as well. 

“Trust me, kid,” Sarah said with a quick wave of her hand. “None of it ever makes any sense.” 

How could someone from the future send someone back to keep them alive in the past? It just didn’t make any sense, but then again, none of this did. Or so Sarah had learned over the last few decades. 

“So then why did I send Grace back?” Dani asked as she pushed herself away from the counter. “Why didn’t I just send you to save me the same way you saved Sarah?”

“Because that was not my mission,” Cameron supplied after a short pause. “You sent me back to save Sarah Connor and then wait here until the day that you both would return.”

Dani didn’t seem to accept that answer as she shook her head, her brow still furrowed. “But that doesn’t make any sense.” 

“Told ya,” Sarah retorted as she lifted her mug to take another sip. 

“I am the only one with the knowledge and core power to restore Lieutenant Harper’s power source,” Cameron added. “You knew that she would be willing to die to protect you and if she did, I would be the only one that could bring her back.” 

Dani considered it for a moment, and the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. “So why didn’t she know who I was to her?” she asked softly as she glanced over to Sarah. 

“You had Lieutenant Harper reprogrammed with the false knowledge that you were like a mother figure to her so that her intimate feelings for you would not get in the way of her mission,” Cameron explained. 

“Knew it,” Sarah smiled around another sip of her tea. 

Dani ignored the jab with another soft sigh. She closed her eyes for a moment as she reached up to rub at her brow. 

Well that would definitely explain the kiss. But Dani still didn’t understand how Grace was slowly recovering the memories. Or how she was going to handle that when Grace was recharged and fully awake. 

One step at a time. 

“So how do we fix her power source?” Dani asked as she looked back to Cameron. 

“It will require great energy,” the terminator answered. “We will need a massive jolt of electricity to transfer enough of my power source into her back up generator so that it can function as her main power source again.” 

“How do we do that?” Sarah asked.

“There is a power plant a few hours drive from here,” Cameron supplied in answer. “We will leave at first light tomorrow.” 

“Will it kill you?” Dani asked softly. “This power transfer. Will it kill you?”

Cameron considered the question for a moment. “I do not know,” she finally answered softly. “It was not part of my mission briefing.” 

“No one else is going to die for me,” Dani stated bluntly. “So...you can just forget that now. We’ll figure something out to make sure you both survive.” 

Cameron stared at Dani for a long moment. “I understand why she loves you. Why she and so many others were willing to die for you.” 

Dani was quiet for a long moment as she thought back to a few days ago. She didn’t want Grace to die for her, but she knew how important it was that she survived.

Never again. She would never watch Grace die like that ever again. 

Especially not knowing what she did now. 

“First light tomorrow,” Sarah cut into the tense moment as she set her mug down onto the table and pushed her chair back. “I need a shower and then I’ll take you up on that offer for some real food.” 

Cameron nodded to Sarah as she walked by and disappeared down the hallway towards the bathroom. She turned her attention back to Dani. “She will survive,” she assured the Commander. 

Dani let out another soft sigh. 

She really fucking hoped Cameron was right.


End file.
